The Relationship Between Structure Profile and Sports Performance of Elite Goalball Players

Abstract

Objective This study aimed to investigate the relationship between Structure profile and sports performance of the elite goalball players. Methods The participants of this study were 30 goalball players competing in Iran’s men’s premium goalball league. Their anthropometric properties were measured. The performance of the players was assessed by filming and evaluating the matches. The Shapiro–Wilk test assessed the normality of data distribution. Due to the abnormality of the data distribution, the Spearman correlation coefficient test was used. Results The results showed no significant relationship between body composition and somatotype with performance indices (P>0.05). However, significant relationships were seen between the efficiency of defense with weight (P=0.03) and body mass index (P=0.03) and also between the efficiency of penalty shots with the height of defense (P=0.005), the total length of the hand (P=0.02), and the length of two open arms (P=0.02). Furthermore, the relationships between the length of the foot and the efficiency of shots leading to the goal (P=0.009) and the efficiency of penalty shots (P=0.001) were significant. However, no significant relationship was observed between other anthropometric indices and the sports performance of the players. Conclusion The present study results showed that despite the importance of anthropometric features, at the elite level; Experience, technique and practice and effort to improve performance in this field are much more important.